Stanford women set for all comers

Published 4:00 am, Monday, March 10, 1997

Usually at this time of the year, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer takes one look at the NCAA women's basketball tournament seedings and goes into something approaching meltdown.

"I always come away from the selection show being real upset about it," she said.

But things changed Sunday.

"This year," VanDerveer said, "it didn't matter to me what our seeding was, who were were playing or where we were going. There have been so many upsets this year, we have to be ready for anybody."

The next few weeks will prove whether VanDerveer's new mind-set is the ticket to a third NCAA championship for her Cardinal. But it's exactly the sort of reasoning John Wooden used when he was winning all those men's national championships at UCLA:

Take care of your own business and everything will fall into place.

The Cardinal, as expected the No. 1 seed in the West after going 30-1 in the regular season, will start tournament work Saturday night against No. 16 seed Howard, at ever-friendly Maples Pavilion, where Stanford has won 46 straight.

The Lady Bison, 24-5 and winners of 23 straight games, will be a mostly unfamiliar opponent for Stanford.

"I know they have a great band," Cardinal senior Charmin Smith said.

"I know they were 18-0 in their league (the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) and won the conference tournament," said VanDerveer. "And we once tried to recruit someone who's playing there (6-foot-5 center Denique Graves), who's reminiscent of (ex-Cardinal) Val Whiting."

Early in the season, Howard didn't have much luck against

"name" teams, losing twice to Maryland and once each to Vanderbilt and North Carolina, by wide margins.

If Stanford corrals the Bison, it will meet either No. 8 seed Texas Tech, a former national champion, or No. 9 Montana next Monday night in a second-round game at Maples. The winner would advance to the West Regional in Missoula, Mont., next week.

VanDerveer noted that the 64-team tournament has a different look this year.

"The message is clear," she said. "They want some new people at the dance."

But three of the No. 1 seeds - Connecticut in the Midwest and Old Dominion in the Mideast in addition to Stanford - appear to have a clear edge. And East top seed North Carolina may have, too.

VanDerveer was pleased that four other Pac-10 teams - USC, Arizona, Oregon and Washington - were chosen, along with USF and Portland from the West Coast Conference.

The Stanford players, who watched the draw on TV at forward Vanessa Nygaard's place, thought the Cardinal would be the top seed in the West.

"But we wondered who would be No. 2, Georgia or Louisiana Tech," she said.

They were glad it was Georgia, which beat Stanford in the national semifinals last season.

"It always feels good having a revenge factor going for you," Smith said.

Smith added that, unlike previous years, she taped the ESPN selection show Sunday.

"Because this is the last one I'll ever be involved in," she said. "This is set in stone now. This is my final trip, and it's going to be very exciting."

VanDerveer said she was surprised the Southeastern Conference had only Georgia and Vanderbilt placed in the West, and also to see LSU, Florida and Auburn all in the Mideast region.

"The Mideast looks really tough," she said, "but our bracket does, too. Georgia and Kansas were regular-season conference winners, and Virginia did well in the ACC."

Stanford is coming off its second straight 18-0 season in the Pac-10, however, and - even more important - it's rounding into good health after several injuries.

Naomi Mulitauaopele returned last week after knee surgery, and Heather Owen should be back from a broken finger this week.

"There are so many positives about this team," VanDerveer said. "It's been challenged like no other I've had because of injuries.

"We have to play great defense, rebound and execute our offense in the tournament, but I truly believe we can do it. I think we're right where we want to be. We're ready for the NCAA."